We are greeted by friendly staff, who make us feel instantly welcome and at home in a restaurant that neither @thepolishviking nor I have ever been to. A basket of thin, crispy, and extraordinarily light focaccia, lightly seasoned with fragrant rosemary hits the table. We resist the urge to polish it off before we receive our appetizer.

Parma Ham with Mozzarella Bocconcini and Focaccia

The parma ham is refreshingly unsalty, accompanied by beautifully soft mozzarella bocconcini and more of their irresistible focaccia. Next the gnocchi with prawns and basil pesto is an instant hit. The sauce starts off mild, but finishes with a kick of heat, and there is a pleasantly surprising amount of prawns. The much anticipated risotto of the day unfortunately falls a bit short. The risotto is at times a bit too al dente for our liking, and is not as creamy as it could be, resulting in a slightly watery tasting broccoli risotto. The tiramisu is the perfect climax to our meal. Every bite is a divine combination of crunchy biscuit topping, boozy and soft ladyfingers with a hint of espresso, and creamy mascarpone cheese.

Tiramisu

With a thoughtful server who split both our appetizer and dessert into two for us, in order to ensure a fair share for all, both food and service made it a memorable meal. Massimo’s Cucina Italiana is definitely a good reason to cross to the other side of the river, and I look forward to our next visit.